Process of manufacturing gas for illuminating and heating purposes



(Mew J. W. MITCHELL.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES- No. 317,406.

T l I I l 1 l I I I l l l l I I A I l \4 I L l I l I l I I N. P zruws. mmumu m mr. Wnhingtnn n c N Mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MITCHELL, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GAS FOR ILLUMlNATlNG AND HEATING PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,406, dated May 5, 1885 Application filed March 19, 1885. (No model.)

-To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN W. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Process of Manufacturin g Gas for llluminatingandotherPurposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of gas for illuminating and heating purposes; and it has for its objects to provide an improved process or series of processes whereby a large volume of carbonic-oxide gas may be rapidly and conveniently generated by the combustion of carbonaceous fuel by a forced blast of air, and subsequently combining such gas with a gas rich in hydrocarbon in such manner as to prevent the deposition of carbon, and thus to insure a high illuminating standard to the resultant gas, as more fully hereinafter specified.

Carbonic-oxide gas possessing little illuminating power is employed for volume and body to dilute the richer gases produced from the liquid hydrocarbons. These gases are to be combined in such proportion as to produce an illuminating-gas of any desired candlepower. The carbonic oxide as heretofore produced has generally been the result of the decomposition of steam in connection with highly-heated or incandescent carbonaceous fuel. The production of the gas by this method has proved expensive and inconvenient, as the steam rapidly cools the fuel, necessitating frequent stoppages for reheating and recharging, or expensive plants having alternately operating gasgenerating furnaces, as well as destroying, in a measure, the valuable constitutents of the gas.

It is one object of my present invention to obviate these objections and provide for the generation of the carbonic-oxide gas by the direct combustion of fuel in a suitable furnace, produced by the passage of a current of air through a mass of nearly pure carbon or fuel, such as anthracite coal, under an air-pressure of about ten pounds.

By such means the heat in the furnace is not reduced,but may be kept up continuously at a uniform temperature by renewal of the supply of fuel and regulating the quantity of air admitted.

Another objection heretofore found in the manufacture of a fixed illuminating-gas from carbonic oxide and the gases generated from the liquid hydrocarbons is that the heat of the'carbonic oxide when itis brought into conjunction with the hydrocarbon gas is so intense as to decompose the hydrocarbon gas and free it of a portion of its carbon, which, being precipitated in the form of carbon black, not only reduces the illuminating quality of the resultant gas, but forms a serious obstacle to its manufacture, as it clogs the retorts and pipes, rendering frequent cleaning necessary, which is expensive and inconvenient.

My invention further has for its objects to obviate these objections by reducing the tem* perature of the heated carbonic-oxide gas as it passes from the furnace to be united with the hydrocarbon gas to such a degree that the deposition of the carbon from the hydrocarbon gas will be wholly prevented, while at the same time the two gases will be amalgamated and fixed, forming a permanent and dry gas of any desired illuminating candlepower for commercial purposes.

My invention further has for its objects to provide for the generation of the hydrocarbon gas, and draw off the same as generated, in such manner as to prevent all deposits of carbon from the same while in the process of generation or thereafter, and to unite it with the carbonic-oxide gas, with its full illuminating properties equal to seventy (70) candle-power, or more, so as to insure the best quality of illumin ating-gas at the least expense, and prevent clogging of the retorts and pipes, as more fully hereinafter described. To accomplish this, the heat within the retort must never exceed 1,600 and the gas must be drawn oft promptly as it is generated, because it would become decomposed and would precipitate carbon black if maintained at that heat for any considerable length of time, thus deteriorating the resultant gas.

My invention further has for its object to utilize the superfluous heat of the carbonic oxide as it passes from the cupola to decompose or assist in decomposing the liquid hydrocarbon into hydrocarbon gas, by means of which the. double purpose of reducing the carbonic oxide in temperature and economizing fuel in the production of hydrocarbon gas is effected.

My invention further has for its objects to provide for amalgamating and fixingthe mixed gases, without extra heat, by so proportioning the temperature of each that the mean temperature when united in proper proportions will be such as to thoroughly fix the gases, as more fully hereinafter set forth. The draw in g is a plan view of a plant or apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention.

In carrying my invention into effect, I employ the plant or series of apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing, in which the letter A indicates a steam-boiler, and B a steamengine connected therewith by means of a steam-pipe, 0, extending from the dome of the boiler. The said boiler and engine may be of any desired description.

1) indicates a rotary blower, or other airforcing mechanism which is driven by a belt extending from the fly or driving wheel of the engine over a pulley on the blower. The blower connects by means of a pipe with the lower part of a cupola-furnace, E, and from the upper part of said furnace a pipe leads to a coil of pipes submerged in water, in order to reduce the temperature of the carbonic oxide passing from the furnace. From the opposite end of the coil extends a pipe, F, to an amalgamating or fixing chamber, G, the object and operation of which will be fully hereinafter described.

Instead of submerging the pipe through which the hot carbonic oxide is conducted toward the amalgamating chamber or vessel, it may be arranged to pass through the chamber in which the hydrocarbon-gas retorts are located, so that the surplus heat will be utilized in the generation of the hydrocarbon gas. The carbonic oxide thus partially cooled is afterward passed through the submerged pipes to reduce it to the proper temperature for uniting the two gases.

H H indicate benches of retorts, with an intervening superheating-chamber, I, within which are situated coils of pipes connected with and fed from the steam-dome of the boiler. The steam-pipes w m from the coils extend along the fronts of the retorts, and connect with injectors projecting into the retorts through suitable apertures therein. The said injectors communicate with an oil tank or tanks by means of suitable pipes. The pipes are of small diameter, and the tanks are placed in an elevated position at a convenient distance from the retorts, so that the oil may flow through the pipes under a regular uniform pressure to the injectors. Under the retorts,

as well as the superheating-pipe coils, are

arranged furnace-chambers for the purpose of heating the same. The retorts connect by means of the pipes K with a horizontal pipe,

L, which connects with the pipe F at the amalgamating orfixing chamber at the point M. The said fixing-chamber consists of a cylindrical or other shaped vessel of suitable dimensions, intothe top of which passes cen trally a perforated pipe, which extends down nearly to the bottom of said chamber, so as to discharge the bulk of the inflowin g gases into the lower part of the same. The interior of said chamber is provided with a series of wiregauze or perforated partitions, or other ohstructions, so as to cause the gases to mingle in their passage through the same, and the said chamber connects with a washer or water seal, N, which connects with a cooler, 0, wherein the fixed gas is washed and cooled previous to passing to and through the purifiers.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The cupola is properly charged with carbonaceous fuel, preferably anthracite coal, and a fire is started therein. Air is then forced through the fuel, under a blower-pressure of about ten (10) pounds, so as to carry on the combustiouto such a degree as to decompose the carbon into carbonic-oxide gas and to cause it to pass off with the other products of combustion at the top of the furnace. The gases from the furnace pass on to and through the submerged coil, where the temperature is reduced to from 1,200 to 1,500 before uniting with the hydrocarbon gas in the amalgamating-chamber. While this operation is being effected, hydrocarbon gas is at the'same time generated in the retortbenches, the furnaces of which, as well as that of the superheater, have'been duly charged with fuel or hot carbonic-oxide gas and set in operation.

The oil being supplied to theinjecting-atomizer through pipes, and steam from the boiler through the superheating-pipes to the injectors under a pressure not to exceed about twenty (20) pounds, entering the retorts and uniting with the oil, where it is quickly and thoroughly converted into a permanent gas. The heat within the retorts at which such conversion takes place should not exceed 1,600 in order to prevent the deposit of carbon. The gas then passes to the pipe L, where it unites with the carbonic oxide, and the united gases pass through the amalgamating-chamber G, wherein they are amalgamated and converted into a fixed gas bytheir own heat, which will be about 1,200 after which the fixed gas passes to the washer and final cooler, and thence through the purifiers to the holder.

The dimensions of the retorts may vary, but their capacity should be proportioned to the rate of hydrocarbon supply, so as to give a heating-surface of 8 feet to about one gallon of petroleum per hour.

The character and arrangement of the plant or apparatus, it is evident, may be greatly varied without changing the character of my invention, so long as the distinctive features of the process are maintained.

It is evident that the gases may be separately generated and stored previously to mixing, and mixed at any suitable time in a proper amalgamating or fixing chamber, in which case, however, extra heat must be applied to said vessel, so as to produce the necessary temperature for fixing and amalgamat-ing the gases.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The process herein described of generat ing gas for illuminating purposes, which consists in forcing acurrent of air through ignited fuel to generate carbonic-oxide gas, separately generating a gas rich in carbon by injecting hydrocarbon and superheated steam into a heated retort, and decomposing the same under a regulated heat, so as to prevent the deposition of the'carbon, and then bringing the two gases together for amalgamation at a temperature not exceeding 1,600

2. The process herein described of generating and preparing gas for illuminating and other purposes, which consists in passing a current of air through ignited fuel to generate carbonic-oxide gas, reducing the temperature of the resultant gas, afterward uniting therewith a hydrocarbon gas, and amalgamating the two at a temperature of about 1,200 substantially as described.

3. The process herein described of generating a gas rich in carbon, which consists in injectin g hydrocarbon and superheated steam into a retort, decomposing about one gallon per hour of the same to each 8 square feet of surface under a regulated heat of about 1,600 whereby the hydrocarbon is entirely decomposed and converted into gas without the deposition of carbon, substantially as described.

4. The process herein described of manufacturing gas for illuminating and other purposes, consisting, essentially, in generating carbonicoxide gas, then using said gas as a heating agent for generating hydrocarbon gas, thereby reducing its temperature, then further cooling said gas to about the temperature of the hydrocarbon gas, then mixing and amalgamating or fixing the two, substantially as specified.

5. The process herein described of producing a fixed illuminating-gas, the same consisting in generating hydrocarbon gas and sep-- arately generating carbonic-oxide gas, cooling the latter to about the temperature of the former as it passes ofi" from the retorts, then mixing and amalgamating them to form a homo geneous gas by their own heat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, J N 0. W. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

WM. A. RosnNBAUM, FRANK S. ()BER. 

